The Second Meeting
by phnx007
Summary: After the death Captain James T. Kirk, the five year mission must go on. With Spock as the new captain of the Enterprise, he must try to hold together a grieving crew and a chief medical officer who just lost his best friend. The remaining two years of the Enterprise's mission will be tough, but old and new friends will be there to help along the way.
At some point in Earth's history, someone somewhere probably made the executive decision that no matter whose it was, rain was the desired forecast during funerals. Perhaps it was because whoever made the decision, be it God or some other ultimate being, knew what kind of effect rain had on those attending funerals. Knew how perfectly it set the mood for mourning, not that those present at such events needed reminding.

Leonard McCoy didn't know the exact details, but he had made the conclusion after he had attended a number of funerals during his lifetime. The first was his great grandmother and grandfather, buried on the same day. It merely drizzled, but it still had the same effect. The second, his father. At that one, it stormed, and Leonard couldn't help but think it was his father punishing him from the great beyond for being the one to unplug life support, despite the fact the old man had asked him to. Then came the many funerals after both the Narada and Khan incidents. It rained at all of them. Pike's funeral was a nightmare of cold, relentless rain. Leonard was a doctor, a scientist, and he knew when the facts added up to complete a clear picture. Funerals equaled rain. Be sure, amidst your grieving, to dress appropriately.

So it only made sense that on the day of Jim Kirk's funeral, the sun shone brightly in the sky with not a single cloud in sight. The temperature had reached a record-breaking 105 degrees in San Francisco. Leave it to Jim to always break the rules, even in death. Sweat dripped down Leonard's face, off the tip of his nose. Such a thing as excessive heat shouldn't be that big a deal when your best friend was being put six feet under, but Spock was standing next to him with not a single drop of sweat appearing on his person, a fact that made Leonard angry. The guy could at least look like he was suffering.

"You could at least look like you're suffering," Leonard said, wiping a hand across his forehead to get rid of the sweat.

"I grew up in an environment much hotter than the current temperatures, Doctor," Spock replied.

Leonard mumbled a reply that featured his usual curse words about Spock's heritage, Spock's demeanor, Spock's biology.

He felt someone squeeze his hand.

"Uncle Jim wouldn't want you two fighting." It was a whisper, so Leonard barely heard it. He looked down at his daughter, who was holding tight to his hand. Johanna was staring straight ahead at the coffin wherein her uncle's body lay. It was the first words she had uttered since Leonard had told her about Jim's passing three days ago. Relief swept over him.

He squeezed her hand back and pulled her closer to his side. "I know. I'm sorry, sweetheart."

"Your dad is grieving Johanna," Spock said. "Curiously, however, his demeanor while grieving is the same as when he isn't."

"Gee, thanks," Leonard grumbled.

"You're welcome, Doctor," Spock replied, a hint of confusion in his voice.

Leonard sighed. "Let's just get this over with." He wiped his brow again. If he sweats anymore, he'd probably drown in it, and wouldn't that be just great. Headline: Chief Medical Officer Drowns at the Late Captain James T. Kirk's Funeral, Despite San Francisco's Continued Draught and the Cemetery's Close Proximity to the Hospital Leonard McCoy Used to Work At.

And subheadline: Sources Say the Captain was McCoy's Best Friend, Could Nothing Be More Rude?

Leonard's sure someone would find it in themselves to make the headlines fit. There's plenty media personnel wandering about that would be glad to do it, he was sure.

Normally, Leonard would be angry at their presence. Funeral's were supposed to be private events for the person's closest friends and family. And Leonard thought that's what Jim's funeral was going to be. Knowing Jim, he shouldn't have been surprised when not just the bridge crew of the Enterprise showed up — he expected them, of course. They stood silently on Spock's other side, in uniform and ever loyal.

But after the bridge crew, more people started showing up, and Leonard only recognized them because he dealt with their physicals every year. The entire crew of the Enterprise was here. Over 400 people already, and even more still filed onto the clean cut grass of the cemetery lawn. The area wasn't big enough to hold all these people, but it didn't look like it was going to matter. They were determined to be there, and if it meant shutting down some of the city's streets for the occasion, then so be it. The media, as mentioned, was there too, but they kept their distance, not bothering those in attendance, and for that, Leonard was grateful. Saving the world twice over seemed to inspire an extreme loyalty in some people.

No one else seemed bothered by the heat, and Leonard wasn't sure what to think of that.

Leonard, Johanna, and the rest of the bridge crew stood silently as they watched more people file in to the cemetery grounds. The coffin sat next to the open grave, and next to that, Jim's official Starfleet picture in a large frame, impossible to ignore. Jim's trademark smile beamed out at them, and it seemed odd for an occasion such as this.

"It's a beautiful set up. The Captain would like it," Chekov said from the other side of Spock.

"Jim would hate it," Leonard replied, with just a bit of hostility. "All these people, he wouldn't want this kind of attention."

"Leonard," Nyota interrupted, her tone calm, ever the mediator. "I know you're grieving, we all are. But don't take it out on the kid."

"I am not a kid," Chekov murmured at the same time Leonard said "Sorry, kid."

Leonard looked down the line at the rest of the bridge crew — at Sulu, whose stoicism usually rivaled only Spock's but now was non-existent, to Scotty's and Carol's tears, to Chekov's slumped figure and Nyota's barely concealed grief behind her strong exterior. And to Spock, whose grief only gave him away in his exhausted features. They all looked appropriate for attending a funeral. And finally, once the ceremony began, they all had the appropriate reactions, and the appropriate words, and the appropriate speeches that should be made at funerals for the best captain Starfleet had ever seen. The admirals in attendance gave a perfect performance, and it only once seemed like a PR grab when one of them mentioned that Kirk was a hero blah blah blah, you could be a hero too. And the media, the media asked the right questions and said the right things and were very sincere in telling the story of James T. Kirk. Out of all the funerals Leonard had been to, Jim's was the most appropriate, even with the lack of rain. And when it was all said and done, and the crew found themselves back at Jim's house for some drinks, they all said the right things and cried in the right places. Johanna was finally talking, telling the crew her favorite stories of her uncle when he came to visit the McCoy household in Georgia the summers during their years at the academy.

And Leonard…well, Leonard was just glad to be out of the damned heat.

An empty glass slammed down on the counter. "Another."

"I don't know about that, Doc. I think it's time I cut you off."

"Ross, come on. I haven't had that many," Leonard said.

"I've served you five so far in the hour and half you've been here, not to mention I'm pretty sure you walked in here already half-way drunk. Sorry, Doc. I got to cut you off." Leonard watched regretfully as Ross moved down the bar where two other customers waited. Leonard snorted as one of the girls started flirting with the bartender. He had been banking on his long-standing friendship with Ross to get him all the alcohol he wanted, but where a cute girl and alcohol were involved, Ross was a goner.

Leonard sighed, and contemplated how much the bottle of scotch behind the counter was worth getting arrested for if he just reached over and stole it when somebody sat down on the seat beside him.

"Doctor."

"Spock."

"Is this really the place you should be the night before we ship out again?" Spock asked.

"Probably not. I was thinking about stealing that bottle of scotch. Want to be my partner in crime, Spock?"

"Not particularly," Spock replied, completely missing Leonard's sarcasm.

They were silent for a few moments. Then,

"I know you don't want to ship out," Spock began, his voice soft and gentle, like he was talking to a child who didn't understand the harsh realities of the world. "Not without Jim there. We're all finding it difficult to accept it. But we've got two years left on our five-year mission. Jim would want us to complete it."

"We never should have taken this leave," Leonard said. "If we didn't, Jim would still be here."

"Is that why you feel guilty?" Spock asked. Leonard turned to him, eyes narrowing. Before he could rebuff, Spock continued. "You wanted to see Johanna for her birthday, and Jim pulled some strings to get us some leave time on Earth. Don't look so surprised Doctor. You forget the first time Jim and I ever met was because of his hacking abilities. He's a good friend. You mustn't feel guilty about what happened. It was an accident."

The fight left Leonard as he sighed miserably. "I know, I know. It's just…"

"Yes, Doctor?"

Leonard thought of the over 400 people at Jim's funeral. The hero's send out. The 21-gun salute. His stomach clenched. "I always thought Jim would go out in a blaze of glory." He paused, thinking, then chocked back a laugh. "In fact, he did, once. Dying in a car accident just seems dumb."

It took a moment for Spock to answer, Leonard's confession hanging in the air between them. "Whether death occurs in the midst of battle or as some random accident, the end result is still the same. It doesn't change how one lived their life and the relationships formed during that time. The how isn't important, Doctor. All that matters is that we lost a good friend, an excellent captain, and it will take time to move on. But move on, we will, and it'll be with the knowledge that Jim's time spent here on Earth and amongst the stars was never in vain, and if we truly want to honor him, we'll continue on as he would want us — happily, and as friends."

Leonard stared at the man next him, his jaw only slightly dropped. "I didn't know you wrote poetry, Mr. Spock. That was beautiful."

Spock huffed in a rare display of annoyance. "There really is no getting through to you, is there, Doctor?"

Leonard patted Spock on the shoulder. "If we're going to spend two years in space without Jim as a buffer between us, you're going to have to get used to it, I'm afraid."

Spock raised an eyebrow. "Indeed."

"We never speak of this bonding moment ever again, you hear me Spock? The kids won't ever let it go."

"No, no. It'll never leave this rundown, dirty establishment, I assure you. We have reputations to uphold," Spock answered, not giving away his amusement.

"Especially you, Captain Spock."

Whatever brief amusement there was dropped away quickly. "A title I'm not sure I'll ever grow accustomed to," Spock said.

Leonard nodded. "Speaking of, have they found a new science officer to take your place? Sulu's the new XO, right?"

"Sulu is the new XO, while also maintaining his piloting duties as he teaches someone else to eventually take over for him," Spock answered, ignoring the first part of Leonard's question. Usually Spock had a pretty good poker face, but whether it was because of the sobering topic of their conversation ever since Spock sat down next to him, Spock wasn't doing a good job holding keeping it.

"What is it, Spock? Who's the new science officer?"

Spock turned away from Leonard, looking behind the counter as if he was trying to decide which drink he wanted, but considering who he was, Leonard knew that wasn't the case. "Did you know Jim had a brother?" Spock asked, his voice contemplative, like he was trying to work a particularly difficult puzzle out in his head.

Spock's question sounded like a non sequitur, but Spock was never one for going off on tangents. Leonard felt apprehension tighten his gut. "Jim told me he ran away when they were young. Never saw him after that," Leonard answered carefully.

"Fascinating," Spock mumbled. Louder, in a voice that Leonard guessed was his new Captain voice, although it didn't sound any different from his XO voice, he said, "Science officer George Samuel Kirk, Jr. will be reporting for duty at 0800 tomorrow morning. We're to be there to greet him and welcome him to the crew."

Leonard was too stunned to reply. Spock stood up to leave, adding "Careful of that hangover tomorrow, Doctor. Have a good night." Then the new captain of the _USS Enterprise_ walked away, leaving Leonard confused and completely sober.


End file.
